Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Treating the plague
• Part 2 of 2: Improving the health of your lawn
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

The "true chinch bug" (blissus leucopterus) is a ground bug about 8½ mm long that usually has black with white wings (although they can change color several times, much like nymphs). If left alone, chinch bugs will suck the sap from your grass, leaving entire patches of yellow, withered grass on your lawn. Natural pesticides and lawn care are an excellent answer to the chinch bugs. Non-organic pesticides can kill the enemies of chinch bugs and lead to a later second plague.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Treating the plague

1. Check how big the problem is. Before you start, get a sense of the seriousness of the problem and whether it is the work of chinch bugs. Remove the bottom of a can and push it two inches into the lawn. Pour in soapy water until it remains filled. Repeat this at various points in your lawn, especially at the border of yellow spots. After ten minutes, return and count the number of chinch bugs floating on the surface:
   • Five or more chinch bugs per can: a serious infestation. Proceed to the next step of the treatment.
   • Two to four chinch bugs per can: medium infestation. Improve the health of your lawn and retest later. Treat your lawn immediately if it is in poor health.
   • Zero or one chinch bug per can: no treatment required. If your lawn is in bad shape, there is probably another cause.
   • Alternatively, you can also examine the lawn closely with a magnifying glass.
2. Vacuum your lawn. This can be effective if you spot chinch bug infestation early, even before they have spread to your lawn:
   • Rake the lawn vigorously to within 2 feet (60 cm) on all sides of the damaged area and to the center.
   • Vacuum the damaged area and the surrounding area.
   • Water the lawn thoroughly.
3. Buy or make a soap treatment. Spiritual soap is considered safe and suitable for organic farming. A homemade soap treatment is often more harmful to your garden, but pure Castile soap, or mild Ivory or Dawn products (not extra strong, degreasing or antibacterial) are usually safe in a solution of 2½ tablespoons (40 ml) of dish soap per four liters. water. Put this in a clean spray bottle, then shake or stir vigorously to combine. If you are using methylated spirits, dilute it according to the directions on the label.
   • This method also works best if you detect the infestation in the beginning and use it on small areas on the lawn.
   • If you have hard water in your area, the soap may not dissolve properly, leaving a film on the surface of the water. If this happens, make a new solution with distilled or spring water.
   • Using commercial spirit soap against chinch bugs may not be legal in Canada. Homemade soap treatments are allowed.
   • Any soap can cause harm to aquatic life. Don't apply this where the water can run into a cistern.
4. Spray the soapy water on your lawn. Soak the damaged area of ​​your lawn using a spray bottle or garden hose. For best results, do this on a cool, calm morning or evening. During windy or warm weather (especially above 32ºC there is a much higher chance of damaging your plants.
   • Try to prevent the soap from coming into contact with nearby plants. Some trees and flowers are particularly vulnerable to soap damage, especially during times of drought.
   • If you are concerned about potential damage, test one corner of your lawn first and check after 24 hours.
5. Spread a flannel sheet over the soapy water area. The chinch bugs will take cover and get tangled in the hair of the flannel. Return after ten or fifteen minutes to vacuum the bugs off the sheet, or drown them by submerging the sheet in a bucket of water.
6. Repeat this if necessary. Monitor your lawn to see if there are more chinch bugs, or if the damage is increasing. Repeat treatment with soap once a week as needed, or once every three or four days for severe infestations. The soap breaks down quickly, so your lawn will quickly return to its normal state.
   • It is a good idea to check the soil's pH level after treatment is complete, as soap is alkaline.
7. Try to attract Geocoris bugs. These predators are not for sale at the pet store, but they often come along during an infestation to feed on chinch bugs. Providing a variety of plants with flowers lures these insects by providing them with places to hide and eat.
   • These predators are very similar to chinch bugs. However, they are usually smaller and faster, with bigger eyes. If you still see a lot of chinch bugs, but your lawn seems healthy, you may not have recognized these predator bugs.
8. Use other predatory insects. Ladybugs, lacewings and parasitic wasps all feed on chinch bugs or their eggs. While they don't tackle chinch bugs as effectively as Geocoris bugs, they are all widely available.
   • Nematodes (nematodes or roundworms) can also help. They have been proven to contain grubs, but studies of their effectiveness against chinch bugs are still ongoing. You can buy nematodes at many garden centers.
9. Try natural oil treatments. Neem oil can reduce chinch bugs without affecting the plants and beneficial insects much. Spray the oil during cool, damp evenings, as it can break down or burn off plants in direct sunlight.
   • Certain essential oils such as rosemary, lemongrass, cinnamon, or citrus oil can also help, but their effectiveness has not been studied as thoroughly. Dilute about 20 drops of oil in four liters of water, then spray it over your lawn.
10. Sprinkle with diatomaceous earth. This can also be deadly to beneficial insects and earthworms and can take weeks or months to resolve, so only use it as a last resort. Wear goggles and a dust mask to avoid irritation, and try not to spray too much. Wash your hands after applying it.
    • Only use diatomaceous earth suitable for the garden or animal feed. Diatomaceous earth for swimming pools is a major hazard to the respiratory tract. Unheated diatomaceous earth with less than one percent crystalline silica is the safest option.
    • Apply diatomaceous earth with a "bulb applicator". This will reduce the risk of getting the dust in your eyes, nose and mouth.
    • In addition, apply diatomaceous earth to wet grass, either after it has rained or after watering the lawn. This ensures that the small particles stick to the grass.

Part 2 of 2: Improving the health of your lawn

1. Water your lawn thoroughly, but not too often. Dry, sunny lawns are the ideal home for chinch bugs, and drought stress will make it harder for your grass to cope with. The ideal watering plan depends on your climate and grass types, but start with an inch per week over one to three sessions. A healthy lawn that gets enough moisture should spring back up after you step on it.
   • Too much water can backfire and make the problem worse, especially with hair chinch bug infestations (mainly in the northern United States and Canada). If you think your lawn is too wet, stop watering for a while until the edges of the grass are just starting to curl.
   • Humid conditions also encourage a naturally occurring fungus, the Beauveria, to (a parasite that kills chinch bugs).
2. Provide shade. Chinch bugs don't really like shade. Hang a shade cloth or plant trees and shrubs to reduce the amount of direct sunlight your lawn gets each day. If your lawn needs a lot of light, shield only the most vulnerable areas from the sun: the grass at the edge of yellow patches that spread.
   • St. Augustine grass, the favorite food of the southern chinch bug, is a great shade tolerant. It should be able to thrive under a 30% shade cloth.
3. Keep the grass high. In general, grass is healthiest when it can grow to a height of 7.5-10 cm. This is especially true during a chinch bug infestation, as the tall grass will keep the soil dark and moist - two conditions this pest dislikes. If your lawn is in a particularly bad condition, skip mowing completely until the grass has recovered.
   • Use a sharpened lawn mower to reduce the stress on the grass, and do not remove more than ⅓ of the blade of grass at a time.
4. Remove plant material from the bottom. This is the spongy, brown layer of organic material that forms between the blades of grass and the soil. Chinch bugs live in this material and hibernate there during cold winters. Provide more air in the soil, once or twice a year, so that the layer with residual material does not get thicker than 1.25 cm. If the material is thicker than an inch, chop it finely with a vertical mower or rake.
   • This is especially important in the fall to reduce the areas where chinch bugs can hibernate.
5. Try not to over-fertilize your lawn. Chinch bugs and other sap-drinking insects thrive on plants with a lot of nitrogen. Switch to an organic fertilizer that works slowly or one with only 5 or 10% nitrogen (N).
   • You can probably add significantly less fertilizer than the label recommends without causing damage. Try this and increase the amount again when the grass turns light green.
6. Remove the garden waste in the winter. In cold climates, chinch bugs hibernate under leaves or garden waste. Some will likely survive under the bedding, even on a clean lawn, but raking away leaves is an easy way to make it harder for the bugs.
7. Weed the weeds in the spring. If the insects are gray-brown or black-brown and very small (about 4 mm long), they may be insects similar to the chinch bug. These insects only swarm over lawns in summer, after the weeds they prefer to eat have died. To limit the number of these insects, keep your lawn and surrounding beds free of weeds in the spring, especially London rocket, other mustard plants, Russian thistle and wormwood.
   • False chinch bugs are most common west of the Mississippi in arid regions, but are also found in the United States, southern Canada, Mexico and the West Indies.
8. Change the pH of your lawn. The ideal soil pH for most grasses is between 6.5 and 7.0. Test your soil with a pH kit from a garden center, and get it within this range by adding lime (to raise the pH) or sulfur (to lower the pH). Keeping the pH within this range will keep your lawn healthy and able to absorb nutrients, helping it survive damage from the pest.
   • For best results, send a soil sample to a testing lab to find out exactly which nutrients are missing from your soil.

Tips

• Drought damage is very similar to that caused by the chinch bug, but is more divided into spots. If the yellow or brown area is steadily spreading outward instead of in patches and bushes, you may be dealing with chinch bugs.
• If the worst happens and you need to plant a new lawn, consider seeding "endophytic" grass. These are ovina or rye grasses enhanced with a beneficial fungus that deter chinch bugs. Keep in mind that endophytic grasses are toxic to livestock. Insect-resistant strains of St. Augustine grasses are also available (Floratam and Floralawn), but chinch bugs in Florida have recently adapted to them.
• In the southern or southwestern United States, the southern chinch bug is the most common species. This species can destroy St. Augustine grass, but rarely causes serious damage to other types of grass.
• Geocoris bugs are related to the chinch bug and are often confused with it. These harmless insects have wider bodies and larger, more widely spaced eyes than chinch bugs, and only appear in small numbers.

Warnings

• Use pure soap flakes, which is more environmentally friendly.

Necessities

• Soap spirit flakes
• Water
• Flannel sheet
• Parasitic wasp